Page 52 of Guarded By the SEAL
Wyatt.
She fisted a hand tightly in his hair, the other digging into his ass cheek with her nails, pulling him more deeply into her center. He moaned and grunted wildly in her ear, her body convulsing rhythmically around his shaft with only one thought in her mind.
Wyatt.
He thrust into her with punishing strokes, sending her over the edge faster than she thought possible. She cried out as he increased the tempo, driving into her, out of control, his cries mingled with her own.
Wyatt.
She drifted back to earth, the weight of his body against her holding her down, grounding her. She kissed his shoulder, grateful for this man, for the safety of this house, this bed, and his skillful lovemaking. He rolled off her and pulled her tightly to his side.
“I don’t want to lose you now that this is all over,” he said.
“You won’t.” She drifted off to sleep in his arms, feeling happier, safer, and more loved than she’d ever felt in her life.
CHAPTER26
Wyatt had driven home from Florida in a sleep-deprived stupor while Teslyn slept on the seat beside him and Ivy did the same in the back. Last night when he’d held Teslyn in his arms, he was able to lose himself in her body and the feelings they shared. But in the bright light of day, he hated himself for what happened to Ralph, and feared he always would.
He imagined Ralph was in the cab with him, talking to him, telling him what went wrong on Warsaw Mountain. Wyatt gripped the wheel too tightly and begged for his friend’s forgiveness, second-guessed his decision to go to Teslyn and wishing to God he could have been in two places at the same time.
If he had known he could only save one of them, which one would he have chosen? The question was a fool’s quandary. A man could drive himself insane doing this, and he feared he was more than halfway there.
Teslyn had agreed she and Ivy would stay with him until she found them their own place here in Atlanta. They reached his house just before ten in the morning, and he showered and dressed before heading out the door, Teslyn’s voice stopping him on the threshold.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you?” she asked.
He turned and crossed to her, taking her face in his hands and kissing her forehead. “Thanks, but I need to do this alone.”
Ralph’s funeral was at noon, but Wyatt needed to visit Hawk in the hospital first.Take care of the living before the dead.
Although Jax had warned Wyatt, he was not prepared for the extent of Hawk’s wounds. The bruising on his face was so extensive, virtually no skin remained its natural color, and Wyatt wondered how badly injured the rest of Hawk’s body was beneath the sheet.
He sat by his friend’s bedside, Hawk turning purple-lidded eyes toward him. “It went bad, Bulldog.” Hawk squeezed his eyes shut, his mouth pulling down hard at the corners. “It went so fucking bad.”
Emotion clogged Wyatt’s throat, and he bowed his head in an attempt to control it. But there was no stopping a flood, and tears spilled onto his cheeks. He needed to hear the details, needed to know everything that went down, wanted to share what Hawk had been through so he could take even the smallest bit of weight from the other man’s shoulders. “What happened?”
Hawk recounted the first portion of the mission for which they’d so heavily prepared. “We moved into the storage area as planned, but instead of the cargo we were expecting, the trailer was empty—except for five of Steele’s men, who ambushed us. Ralph didn’t stand a chance.”
Wyatt absorbed every detail of Ralph’s death, feeling each description as an emotional blow. Hawk had been there for everything, watched every torturous strike as Steele’s men ignored their weapons and killed Ralph with their bare hands.
Hawk was determined to get vengeance, a disturbing glow seeming to emanate from his stare. “You mark my words, Bulldog. I’m going to kill that bastard Steele just like his men killed Ralph. I’m going to make sure he suffers so bad, he’ll be begging for death. You watch.”
In that moment, Wyatt was sure Hawk would do it, and he hoped his friend would wait for an officially sanctioned HERO Force mission instead of taking matters into his own hands. He hoped, but he wouldn’t bet on it.
He was still worried about Hawk’s vengeful plans when he got to the cemetery, and he made a mental note to discuss it with Jax. The last thing the team needed was a member of HERO Force going on a rogue mission to take someone out, no matter how justified the cause.
Wyatt got out of his car and joined the group of mourners gathered graveside, nausea roiling in his stomach as Hawk’s description of the scene at Steele’s mansion played on a loop in his mind. He stood apart from the other members of HERO Force, unable to hear anything but Jessa’s cries for her husband.
Guilt clawed at him. How could he go on after this? How could he do his job, be part of this team of men who relied on each other to stay alive? He forced himself to pay his respects to Jessa, then stayed there while she and the other mourners cleared away, the area growing still and quiet as mist began to fall from the sky.
A deep voice came from behind him. “It’s not your fault, Bulldog.”
Wyatt knew exactly who that voice belonged to. He slowly turned around. Keane Bryson stood with his hands in his pockets, looking as comfortable in a dark suit and tie as he did in camo and khakis. “Ghost.” Wyatt looked around them, taking in the empty cemetery. “Were you here for the service?”
“I was.” He gestured toward a winding road in the distance. “Truck and I came down. Rayne’s here too. I asked her to wait in the car so you and I could talk. Jax told me you were assigned to the Steele mission in Colorado with Hawk. He said Ralph went in your place when I asked you to help Teslyn.”
The cemetery must be so quiet at night.
